Plug cluster



June 1925' R. B. BENJAMIN PLUG CLUSTER Filed Feb. 6, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 2,

R. B. BENJAMIN PLUG CLUSTER 2 Sheets-sheaf 2 Filed Feb. 6, 920

Patented June 'rnrsnr tT FFiQn.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN, OF CHICAGO, ELLEN 01S, ASSIGNO'R. TO BENJAMIN ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY OF GHIGAGO, ILL-INUIS, A. CQRPORATION F ILLIN ON.

PLUG CLUSTER.

Application filed February 6, 1920. Serial No; 356,6?2.

To all 1071 am. it may concern Be it known that I, REUBEN B. BENJA- MIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cool; and State oi" Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements inl 'lug Clusters, of which the following is'a full, clear, concise, and exact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification. I

My invention relates to electrical connector devices, and more specifically to plug clusters.

Among the objects of my invention is to r provide an improved device which will be durable and efficient in use, simple and compact in construction, andeasy to assemble.

Further objects will appear from the detailed description to follow and from the appended claims. V

In the drawings in which an embodiment of my invention. is shown: 1 1

Fig.1 is a side elevation of a plug cluster embodying my invention; 7

Fig. 2 is an axial section on the line 2- -2 of Fig. 3; 1

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3+3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. l is a bottom plan view of the insulating block which carries the switch mechanism and center contact;

F 5 is a view looking from the left in Fig. 3, as indicated by the arrow 5, parts being broken away to show the interior constructi on F 6' is a plan View of the insulating cover for the switch mechanism Fig. 7 is a section on theline 7 7 of Fig. 3, and Y l 8 is a detail perspective view of a contact and conducting member for the switch mechanism.

The constructioncomprises ina general way, a plugportion 10, having a center contact 11 and a swivel-threaded shellcontact 12. a pair of receptacle portions 13, each having a center contact 1 1, and a threaded shell contact 15, and a pair of switch mechanisms 16 iorcontrolling the circuit between the plug and receptacles 13 respectively.

Thereceptaclell and the switch mecha nism 16 are supported from the plug portion 10 by means of a-body portion, which has a generally spherical shape, and comprises an insulating. base having upper and lower.

portions 18 and 19respectively, and a spherical sheet metal housing member 20, the

spherical housing20 being supported by the insulating base, and serving to support the receptacle contacts 15, as well-as the sheet metal casing portions 21, ,andfthe insulatil'i'g fibre cups or sleeves 22, which insulate the shell contacts 15 from the housing 20, and the casing mei'nbers 21. H p p i The switch mechanisms 16' are both supported by the lower portion 19 of the insulating base 17 the'upper portion 18 serving as a cover for these switch mechanisms.

These switch mechanisms 16 control the circuit from the center contact 11 of the plug to the center contactsl of the receptacles respectively. Eachcenter contact 14 of the receptacles is electrically connected with one side of one of the switch mechanisms 16, and the other side of each of the switch mechanisms '16 is electrically connectedwith thecenter contact 11 of the plug.

The switch mechanisms 16 may be substantially the same as the switch mechanism de-- scribed and claimed in my copending application Serial 326,8 31,filed September 27 1919, in which switch mechanism is claimed per so.

In order to furnish current to both of the switch mechanisms 16, a double contact member 23 (Fig. 8) .is provided, this double contact member 23, having two contact portions 24, one for each of the switch mechanisms 16 and being electrically connected with the centerccontact 11 by means of a screw 25,- which passesthroughthe center contact 11 and is threaded into the central portion 26 of the double contact member 23. This screw also serves to mechanically connect the receptacle portion of 'the' device with the plug portion. v

Theswitchmechanisms 16 are substantially identical; and a description of one will siilnice' for; both. Each comprises an oscillatable switch arm 27 operated by means of a pull chain 28, and a rotatable commutator member 28, which is given a step-by-step movement by the oscillation of the oscillatable member 27, to alternately make and break the connection between one of the contactnieinber 24 and the corresponding center contactl l.

I, As shown in Fig. 7, the commutator member 28 carries a spiral contact member 29,

which is always electrically connected with its corresponding center contact 14, and which spiral contact member 29 is alternately connected and disconnected with respect to the contact portion 24 (Fig. 7) by means of a U-shaped leaf-spring member 30, which in the on position of the switch is in electrical contact both with the spiral contact 29 and the contact member 24, but in the 011' position of the switch is not in contact with either. The disengagement of the U- shaped contact member 30 from the spiral contact member 29 is effected by one arm of the U-shaped member snapping off from the rear tip 31 of the spiral contact member 29 onto the spiral portion 32 of the commutator member 28 which is of insulating material. The disengagement of the U-shaped member 30 from the fixed contact 24 is efl'ect ed. by means of a coil tension spring 33, which when the U-shaped spring 30'snaps out of engagement with the spiral contact 29 jerks the U-shaped spring bodily to cause it to move out of contact with the fixed contact 24. The circuit is thus broken at two points, by the U-shaped spring member 30 moving out of contact both with the inwardly-extending arm 34, formed integral with the spiral contact 29, this arm 34 extending inwardly to the axis of the commutator and is supported by the hub 35.

This arm 34 is. electrically connected with the center contact 14 by means of an L- shaped bracket 36, which forms a bearing for the shaft 35, and a screw 37 which extends into the bracket member 36 and is threaded into the center contact 14, thus serving not only to electrically connect the bracket 36 and center contact 14, but also to mechanically hold both of these parts on the insulating base portion 19.

The shell receptacle contacts 15 are always electrically connected with the shell contact 12 of the plug, this connection being effected by a U-shaped conductor member 38 (Fig. 2) electrically connected with both of the shell contacts 15, a bent conducting strip 39 in contact with the con ducting member 38 and supported by the insulating base portion 19 (Figs. 2, 4 and a screw 40 electrically connected with the conducting strip 39, a contact member 41 electrically connected with thescrew 40, and an'annular' conductor member 42 with which the plug shell contact 12 has a sliding contact and which is electrically connected with the annular contact member 41.

To go back over the-electrical connections from the threaded shell contacts of the of the plugand to describe them in detail, the U-shaped conducting member 38 is secured to upturned cars 43 formed integral with the receptacle shell contacts 15, by means of a screw 44, which extends through registering openings in the conducting member 38 and the cars 43, and is threaded into a nut 45. The screw not only serves to electrically connect the annular contact members 41 and the contact strip 39, but also serves to hold these contact members in place and to mechanically connect the insulating portions 18 and 19 of the insulating base. The conducting member 41 comprises a ring portion which surrounds an annular boss 46 on the insulating base portion 18, and a tongue portion 47,which is depressed into a recess 48, which provides clearance forjthe head of the screw 40 (Figs. 5 and .6). The annular contact 42 has an outwardly extending flange portion 49 which engages an inwardly extending shoulder or flange portion 50 on the threaded shell plug contact 12.

The threaded shell cont-act 12 is provided with the usual insulating thumb-piece 51 for screwing it into the socket, and with the insulating sleeve portion 52 which surrounds the lower part of the threaded shell contact 12. v

One of the features of construction. is the way in whichthe housing 20 is secured in place with respect to the insulating base portions 18 and 19. This is accomplished by a sort of bayonet joint connection between. the lower base portion 19 and the housing 20, the upper base portion 18 when placed in position serving to hold the bay onet joint in connected position.

As shown in F'g. 3, the upper edge of the housing 20 is provided with opposite inwardly-extending arcuate flanges 53 which overlie the upper surface of the base portion 19, when the parts are in assembled position, thesearcuate flange portions 53 being spaced far enough apart from each other so that the wing-portions 54. of the base 19 can be inserted into the housing 20, and then turned to bring them under the arcuate flange portions of the housing. The upper cover portion 18 is then slipped in place. This upper cover portion is provided with downwardly-extending arcuate flanges 55, which extend down into the housing 20 in the space between the inwardlyextendingarcuate flanges 53, so that relative rotation between the cover portion 18 and the housing 20 is thus prevented. The two base portions 18 and 19 are then secured together by meansof th screw 40, previously described, and by means of another screw 56 which extends through the base portions 18 and 19 and is threaded into ,a nut 57 (Figs. 4 and 6). The screws 40 and 56 hold the two base portions 18 and 19 against relative rotation, and the flanges on the cover 11, through the screw 25. contact and con-' ducting member 23, switch 16, bracket '36, screw 37, to the center contact 14, thence through whatever transmission device is inserted in the socket 13, to'the shell contact 15, thence through the conducting member 38, conducting member 39, screw 40, conducting member 4.1, and conducting member 42 to the threaded shell plug contact 12.

Certain generic claims covering broadly certain features shown in this application have been made in my eopending application Serial No. 343,757, filed Dec. 10, 1919, electrical receptacles.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A pull switch plug cluster comprising a plug portion and a receptacle portion, said plug portion comprising an insulating base and shell and center contacts supported thereby, said receptacle portion comprising a two part insulating base supported from the plug base, said parts being substantially circular and coaxial with said plug portion, and materially larger in diameter than said plug portion, and having a chambertherebetween; shell and center receptacle contacts supported by the lower base part and switch mechanism; housed in said chamber between said upper and lower base parts 2. A switch plug receptaclecomprising a plug portion, a two-part base supported underneath said plug portion, said parts being substantially circular and coaxial with said plug portion, and materially larger in diameter than said plug portion, and having a chamber therebetween, and center and side contacts and switch mechanism supported by the lower base part, said switch mechanism being housed in said chamber between said base parts.

3. A plug receptacle comprising'a plug portion, a two-part insulating base supported underneath said plug portion, said parts being substantially circular and coaxial with said plug portion, and materially larger in diameter than said plug portion, and having a chamber therebetween, a plurality of pairs of center and side contacts supported by the lower one of said base parts, and a housing for said lower base part and contacts having a portion held in place by and between said base parts.

l. A plug receptacle con'iprising a plug portion, an insulating base supported by and. underneath said plug portion, a housing and means whereby said housing may be secured to said insulating base by a movement of rotation with respect thereto, receptacle contacts supported by said housing rotatable therewith in making said connection, and

conductor means extending between said plug portion and'said receptacle contacts, said conducting means comprising two con tact members lying substantially in the axis of the plug, one carried by said housing and one carried by said insulating base.

5. A plug receptacle comprising a plug portion, an insulating base supported by and underneath said plug portion, a housing and means whereby said housing may be secured to said insulating base by a movement of rotation with respect thereto, receptacle contacts supported by said housing rotatable therewith in making said connection, and conductor means extending between said plug portion and said receptacle contacts, said conducting means comprising two contact members lying substantially in the axis of the plug.

6. A plug receptacle comprising a plug portion, having an insulating base and con tacts supported thereby, a two-part base supported underneath said plug portion, said two-part base being substantially circular and coaxial with said plug portion, and materially larger in diameter than said plug portion, receptacle contacts switch mechanism supported by said twopart base, one portion of said two-part base being secured to and supported by the plug base and the other part of the twopart base I scribed my name.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN.

and 

